Decolorizing and clarifying agent



Pa tented. Feb. 15, 1927. I

' UNITED A STATES PATENT QFFICE.

- HAROLD S. CHBISTOI PHER, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE SIGNM ENTS, T S'JPAIB'I'DAIBZD OIL COMPANY CF CALIFORNIA, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE. I

nncotonizme Ann Gimme Aenu'r.

K0 Drawing.

This invention relates to the art of decolr 'orizingand clarifying petroleum oils.-

An object of this invention .is to produce synthetically hydrous aluminum silicates and hydrous silicas which possess clarifying powers materially in. excess of those silicates and 'silicas which exists in filtering media commonly used in the treatment of petroleum oils, such for instance, as fullers earth. In its preferred use, another important object of this invention is to provide a proc* ess which may utilize the waste acid liquor,

incidental to the treatment of various clays and'earths with acid, inthepreparation ofthese clarifying and decolorizingmaterials.

Another object of this-invention is to provide a process by which these products may be economically produced.

With the foregoing preliminary remarks my invention and further objects and advantages thereof will be more thoroughly understood by reference to a preferred process g materials embodying t my invention.

' I The sulfphuric acid extract from the treat- 1 j ment of ullers earth or similar clays contains a large percentage of aluminum sulphate in solution. In the practiceof my process this acid: extract is filtered to obtain a clear solutionand then neutralized preferably by: the addition of sodium hydroxide. Other sources of soluble aluminum "salts may be used'in my invention. To this new 35. tralized liquor is-then added a solution of e principles of soluble silicate preferably a material low in" cost, such as,'sod ium silicate. The solutions should be mixed under appropriate conditions of temperature and concentration to 4 produces gelatinous .precipitate of hydrous aluminumsilicate. I have found that for the production" of the best products, these I liquids, should be mixed according to the cf; roportionsjof 1 volume of neutralizedacid K 'quor icontaining one-part 'by weight of aluminum sulphate having the; formula [f -f 181K30 to 8.3 parts by weightof a 40 Baum'. solution-pf sodium silicate. The temperature should preferably be limited to 80 F.;

The precipitate'so formed is then sepa- .l rated by some suitable means such as filtration and thoroughly washed with water'to -'-remo'v "e the: soluble salts The washing ;for the production of clarifying or decolor- 110w proportion of aluminum and co as nearly as determined to the. empirical Application filed September 80, 1922. Serial No. 591,653.

process maybe conducted either upon the wet precipitate or .upon the precipitate after it has been dried. The drying of the wet precipitate may be carried out in 'substan-' tially the usual or customary manner of drymg analogous products. It is desirable, however, to eflect a complete removal of all the water soluble. salts in order to secure the 1 highest degree-of activity in the final product. .By this means .I obtain substantially 'pure aluminum silicates which diifer from aluminum silicates heretofore produced either in chemical structure or physical or colloldal state asv the hydrous aluminum silicates are found to possess to a very marked extent the property of clarifying and decoloriaing petroleum oils. The'purified pre-. cipitate is then dried, and"crushed or ground according to the manner in which'it. is to be utilized. p This material may be utilized in a manner similar to fullers earth for which purpose it may be crushed and screened to thepnoper slzeand placed in a percolating vessel. The

oil is then decolorized or clarified by percolating through the material under-the influenc'e of gravity. -Another method is to pulverize the dried precipitate, agitate theoil. with thepulverized material andsubsequently separate the oil from the material by some suitablef recess such as filtration.

The hydrous s1 'cas are produced from the hydrousaluminumsilicates by treating the precipitate with suldphuiicacid untilfthe' cm. very porous W aluminum is remove of hydrous silica is thus formed which may be used in a mannensimilar to the hydrous silicates of aluminum.

These hydrous aluminum'silieates and hyv .drous silicas are markedly different their properties and structure from otherhydrous aluminum, silicates and hydrous hitherto produced. This particularly mani--' fests itself in their action on It is. extremely diflicult to de etheseproductsin and except through their relative troleum oils.-

action onpetroleum oils. Generally, liowever, the aluminum silicates have a relatively I substantially the entire product.

' I the hydrous silicas generally correspond to the formula 6(SiO ).H O. These formulae are not given as indicating the chemical structure or exact proportions of the compounds,

sist of a single substance 'such as a single hydrous aluminum silicate or a single hydrous silica compound, but there is a group of different hydrous aluminum silicates or hydrous silica present, just as for example petroleum oil is a mixtureof different by- V drocarbons.

It appears that the aforesaid precipitation of hydrous aluminum silicates results in the product possessing compounds having a certain silica structure which structure is retained even after the extraction of alumities,

the proper conditions produce equivalent structures.

It is understood that myinvention is not limited to the preferred. embodiment described, but is of the scope set forth in the following claim.

I claim: Asia new article .of manufacture substantially pure hydrous aluminum silicates having active decolori'zing or clarifying properwith reference to petroleum oil, comparatively 10w in aluminum content and corresponding substantially to the empirical formula Al O 12(SiO- 21-1 0.

Signed at Richmond, Calif, this 21st day of Sept, 1922.

HAROLD s. CHRISTOPHER. 

